10/28/2025
Becoming a Member
If you would like to become a member of FBC Fortuna please plan to attend am FBC Discovery Class. This six-week class is offered twice each year (Winter and Summer) at 9:45 AM on Sundays. If you would like to attend the next class please talk to an Elder or email [email protected].
What is Church Membership?
In Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, and Ephesians 2:19, 3:6, 4:25, 5:30 the Apostle Paul writes to local churches about how each believer is a "member" of the body of Christ. These important passages shows that each Christian is part of something bigger than himself. And yet, the part is played out in a local congregation. Notice how Paul wrote to these three different churches, not to one church three times. Membership is not just another word to describe a Christian. It is a word to describe every Christians relationship to a local body of believers. Here are some other examples of how that plays out in the life of the New Testament believer.
"Fellowship" vs. "Membership"
First, lets consider the words 'fellowship' and 'membership.' Some churches do not have formal church membership and will instead use language like, "I am part of this fellowship." This would be different from a church that uses the language, "I am a member of that church." Although there are small and large nuances to each of these words the basic fact remains that in either case a person is distinguishing their regular participation in one local church as opposed to another. That is why all the examples below would equally apply to all Christians, whether they are a church member or part of a fellowship.
Lists
In Acts 6 and 1 Timothy 5 we have lists of widows that belong to particular churches in need of particular care. Even though these lists were not exhaustive of the entire congregation they do imply that the concept of having a list marking out a group of people was not foreign to the New Testament.
Letters & Letters
Every New Testament epistle (letter) was written to a local church. It is true that these letters were circular (that is meant to be shared), but the circular nature of those letters reinforces the idea that Christians were part of specific local congregations. In fact, in the New Testament, the word church is rarely used to identify the universal church. It is almost exclusively used to identify local fellowships. This is further emphasized by the use of "Letters of Recommendation" (Romans 16:1-2, 1 Corinthians 16:3, 2 Corinthians 3:1-3). Although this is a practice has fallen from use in many churches, letters of recommendation or letters of transfer have been a historic Christian practice, based on the New Testament, to send and receive believers from another church. First Baptist Church of Fortuna still reaches out via phone calls, texts, or emails with other local churches before we receive a believer into fellowship.
Leadership
God has given the church Elders and Overseers who also serve as pastors. These church leaders are limited to local congregations. So who are these leaders responsible for? All Christians everywhere, or only for local congregations. And how does a leader become responsible for a Christian. Is it simply by showing up to a few worship services? And when does that responsibility end? The whole idea of church leadership necessitates some form of identifiable church membership (Ephesians 4:11, Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 3:1- 2, Titus 1:5, 7, Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24, 1 Peter 5:1-4)
Ordinances
Baptism and the Lord's Supper are two sacred (holy) ordinances given to the church, not individual believers. This means that for baptism and the Lord's supper to be properly administered, it must be in the context of the local church. The very nature of these ordinances demands some form of regular gathering with local believers who can corporately affirm each other's confession of faith and daily walk with the Lord.
Church Discipline
Matthew 18:15-20, 1 Corinthians 5:13, 2 Corinthians 2:5-11, 7:10-12, 13:1-3, 2 Thessalonians 3:6,14-15, 1 Timothy 5:19-20, and Titus 3:10-11 all speak of formal church discipline (see also Acts 5:1-11). This is discipline executed by the "church' and not privately by church leadership. This requires us to ask the question, what church? Certainly if a man was caught in unrepentant adultery we would not wait to gather all the saints from around the world to deal with the issue. And if an unrepentant sinner is to be purged from our midst does that not require a regular gathering of believers to be purged from? Church discipline makes no sense, nor would it be possible, unless some form of church membership existed.
Spiritual Gifts and Discipleship
Lastly, and briefly, spiritual gifts and discipleship require community. Without a church fellowship to which you belong, you are depriving yourself and others of the opportunity to exercise spiritual gifts and participate in discipleship.
As you can see, church membership is a comprehensive and important part of the New Testament. Therefore, it is important for Christians to join themselves to a local body of believers according to the biblical practices of that church.
[End Note: Although churches may disagree on the level of formality of membership, all churches still participate in some form of membership. If a church claims not to, simply ask if first time guest can collect the offering, teach the children, or preach. You will quickly discover that apparently even the most communal of churches still practice some form of church membership. That is, identifying who belongs and who is simply visiting.]
Becoming a MemberIf you would like to become a member of FBC Fortuna please plan to attend am FBC Discovery Class. This six-week class is offered twice each year (Winter and Summer) at 9:45 AM on Sundays. If you would like to attend the next class please talk to an Elder or email fbcfortuna@ou...
